Lists for 2010

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Here is one from a USA perspective ....

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2010/12/05/131712050/top-10-jazz-albums-of-2010

... i am stuck to recall any personal highlights for 2010 but that is down to me not the scene [not many gigs and stopped buying cds etc and that eternal curse of age, nostalgic back fill ...]


Mostly Other People Do The Killing are at the top end tho and Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran ....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...and i finally recalled [memory ] this and it is one of my fave dlds of new stuff this year:

[Serial_Apologist]

Running through the cal in chronological order from 2010:

Jan 10 - Kenny Wheeler's 80th birthday concert at the Royal Academy: all the usual suspects, but Chris Laurence in particular on exceptionally good form.

June 3 - Lauderdale House, Highgate, billed as Norma Winstone with pianist Nikki Iles and bassist Steve Watts, Mr Watts had to bow out and was replaced at point-blank notice by Mark Lockheart on tenor and soprano saxes, who did a beautiful, sensitive job in melding in with the song materials Norma goes in for nowadays

July 21 - Again unexpectedly, as Mark Lockheart was billed, tenor man Denys Baptiste maintaining consistent inventiveness with his well-matched quartet, with the ever-dependable pianist Barry Green - whatever the setting, Gary Crosby on bass, and a black American drummer over here for the time being whose name I omitted to note, who reminded me of Marvin "Smitty" Smith. This was at the well-upholstered Hideaway Club, tucked in a little cul-de-sac off Streatham's main shopping thoroughfare (with its thronging well-tanked late-nighters), where they tend to interrupt the listening to check if one wants one's glass refilled

Nov 3 - Ingrid Laubrock's Forensic, at Hideaway. Ingrid jumped ship almost unnoticed back in the summer, now being domiciled in New York and, rumour has it, married to that fine drummer Tom Rainey. But for this gig, plus one or two other dates here and across the Channel, she was back with her 2006 Forensic line-up with Barry Green, cellist Ben Davis and bassist Larry Bartley (both on 2003's "Forensic") and an Irish drummer. I always had high hopes for Ingrid once she had integrated the various influences garnered over some 20 years' professional playing here; as with others of her generation she has benefitted hugely from involvement with seasoned players from the homegrown improv scene, and has grown in confidence both as a player able to develop a solo narrative style now all her own and evolve an idiosyncratic way of adapting both her earlier compositional materials to suit her evolving improvisational vocabulary - as was evident on this occasion - and devise bold new compositonal frameworks, the likes of which are apparent from her new CD "Anti-House", recorded in New York alongside American musicians, including Mr Rainey and the fine guitarist Mary Halvorsen, who came to R3 listener's attentions earlier in the year and iirc got rather short shrift from boredees, ahem. "Anti-House" is a much tougher listen than Ms Laubrock's recorded output up to this time, lacking her earlier quirkiness in devising a tune, although I haven't heard her free improvised trio recording, which was also out on this occasion.

New(ish) name to note for the future: saxist and clarinetist Shabaka Hutchings.

S-A

[Tenor Freak]

S_A: Mary Halvorson does not get short shrift from me! She's definitely one of the better guitarists around. And I'm pleased my old mate Denys and his quartet were one of your highlights of the year.

Personally, I don't get out much due to living in the sticks and a lack of bread, so mine was the Kenny Wheeler 80th birthday tour gig at the Turner Sims in Soton where I met up with Ian and we had a nice chat about all things jazz.

[eighthobstruction]

Didn't see anyone this year.... for the same reason as Bruce....but I wish I'd seen this lot....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8uDjcczx14

[Ian Thumwood]

I don't think that 2010 was a great year for live gigs. Certainly it didn't quite match the quality of the CD issues which I think was exceptional. Usuaully Vienne manages to deliver the best gig but this year was about the least successful as the organisers were replaced by a professional team who sought to make the festival more commercial by booking no-jazz acts as Joe Cocker and Elvis Costello. The only standard gig was Jason Moran#s "Bandwagon" which was compelling and innovative. I also thought that Esperanza Spalding and Chucho Valdes were good whilst Wayne Shorter's quartet didn't quite reach the heights of previous gigs.

Two gigs stand out for me. I loved Abdullah Ibrahim's Ekaya which, although lacking star soloists, performed some of the classic arrangements recorded by the 1980's edition of the band. Being familiar with many of these charts, I felt it was brilliant to hear the music played live. The trombonist was superb. However the stand out gig for me was the Mike Walker / Gwilym Simock quartet that featured Steve Swallow on bass and the great Adam Nussbaum on drums. I felt that this brought out a new aspect of Simcock's playing with the pianist playing in a more muscular approach but with Mike Walker stealing the show. I have seen Walker on several occasions in the past but this stand-out concert seem to confirm to me his status as a World Class jazz musician.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

..the Jon3 perspective on UK scene
anyone listening again?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wh6c1

[charles t]

Thanks for reviving that BBC page, Calum. Eventually found my way to Mc CALLUM (and ordered, six pounds worth).

http://downloads.free-jazz.net/release/paul-baylis-jon-howard-stuart-mccallum/

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

....from the Grauniad some overlooked gems of 2010 [nb world fans]

French Cafe Blues
https:////www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5...eature=related

German Sax Quartet [all Bass Saxes] Deep Schrott

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAS-bFmEST8

and my favourite Mulligan Quartet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5vFlt5xKKM

Chas have you checked out Alexander Hawkins? ..plays organ on the Decoy Trio track ...

http://www.alexanderhawkins.com/discography

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

ref Jon3;
credit when due, decent prog

enjoyed Decoy, Billy Jenkins and Django Bates ... others too pretentious or noodlin' or whatever [vocalists left me cold ...]

i have the Phronesis and wish i had got the Django Bird album instead...

[Ian Thumwood]

Wondered if anyone has listened to the "Jazz Library" CD of the year review?

A selection of critics were asked to select their favourite jazz records of the year and the choices were totally unexpected, largely consisting of records that had totally escaped my attention. The only one I had previously heard was the Dave Holland record which a friend who is learning the guitar loaned me being full on enthusiasm for it. I'm afraid it was a bit like aurual wallpaper to my ears and I am not too enthused by most things Spanish. Not one of Dave's finest in my opinion and really removed from the "spot on" jazz recordings he usually churns out.

Some of the choices were very good though. The Henry Lowther record sounded very good and I quite like the Norma Winstone CD even if I am not quite so referential in my attitude towards ECM these days. The mainstream tracks were also very good and it is nice to see the whole spectrum of jazz to be considered. For me, the downside was the Jazzwise Editor's contribution where his over use of superlatives to describe the band "Phronesis" would probably make a writer like Sir Thomas Mallory blush! This had the effect of making me a bit hostile towards the track chosen which was probably a lot better than the kind of jazz performed in this country over 40 years ago with regard to technique. It was ok-ish but the purple prose used to describe the music seemed a massive over-reaction given the number of very good piano albums that emerged in 2010 that I would suggest are far superior. Any reference to a band as being the "new EST" is bound to provoke an ironic response from me - I felt the original band was extremely balnd and it's popularity baffled me.

All in all, it was interesting to hear some music from outside of the normal beaten track of jazz which compensated for the fact that 2010 was a fantastically good year for jazz CD's with a lot of be very positive about regarding the music's future. Sorry but the track I liked least was the Jan Garbarek one. Twenty years ago I would have loved it but my tastes have moved on and I find that the saxophonist's work is now just too far removed from jazz. I used to be very fond of his tone on soprano but it now reminds me of a child's squeaky toy. I saw Garbarek play much of the "Officium" material in Salisbury Cathedral many years ago and enjoyed the experience which was enhanced by the fact in it held within one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe.

[Alyn_Shipton]

Ian
Glad that (despite the Garbarek and Phronesis) you generally found the programme to be full of unexpected tracks. I had some discussion with John Walters about which Holland / Habichuela track to play and I think in retrospect it might have been a better call to go for one of the traditional flamenco ones on which Dave unleashed some pretty spectacular jazz playing. That was certainly the highlight of the band's live appearances when I heard them in Cheltenham and at the Barbican.

[Sonny's Back]

For contemporary music, Polar Bear at the QEH Front Room on 23 April 2010 was for me gig of the year , but then I didn't go to many!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhRXhQyjsoQ&feature=related

Otherwise it was the tribute to Ian Carr at the QEH on 23 February 2010

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

an interesting set of top reissues in 2010

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2010/12/27/132237276/5-jazz-reissues-that-put-2010-to-shame

the Complete People Time 7 cds of Stan & Kenny is a must for the likes of Trevor 'n meself